Chocolate Fudge Silk Buttercream

Creamy, silky and incredibly light and fluffy, our Chocolate Fudge Silk Buttercream melts on the tongue and is not too sweet. Fine quality cocoa powder and chocolate are both incorporated for a full and robust chocolate fudge flavor. This special buttercream is made using a unique method and is the perfect American style dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for cakes and cupcakes. Recipe includes variation for Mocha Silk Buttercream. It will become your favorite Chocolate Buttercream!

My dear friends, you must have guessed this chocolate buttercream recipe was coming soon. Right? In fact, Chocolate Fudge Silk Buttercream is making an appearance here on the blog before any spring or Easter recipes because it was a special request from my readers and I was only happy to oblige.

In fact, I had hoped to share this recipe earlier this month but several things out of my control impacted my schedule. Most of them hilarious (only in hindsight, of course) and I will share the story in another post as promised. Speaking of promises…although the buttercream series continues here at Wicked Good Kitchen, the cakes are definitely coming. You are going to love them!

This chocolate version of the recipe, and another coming soon, have the word “silk” in the title because I do not want my readers thinking I am arrogant using the term “best ever” so often in my recipe titles. I am the least arrogant person you could ever meet. Confident? Most of the time, yes. 😉 There is a big difference. Also, I went with the word “silk” because it is exactly what the texture of this buttercream is…silky. In addition, it is unexpectedly light.

The Secret: The “Sugar Slurry and Emulsion Technique”

The secret in making this buttercream is all about the unique method creating a “sugar slurry” with a hot liquid to dissolve the sugar granules for an especially silky versus gritty texture found so often in American style buttercreams made with confectioners’ sugar. In addition, an effective “emulsion” is created when the fats (butter and organic palm shortening) are beaten in as well as the addition of golden syrup made from cane sugar (or corn syrup). The result is incredibly sublime.

Truly, the possibilities for variations on the original buttercream recipe, Best Ever American Buttercream, are endless. However, this recipe in particular required thorough testing for the ideal ratio of cocoa powder and chocolate for the perfect fudge-like flavor profile. In addition, taking the time to develop and write the recipe with precise directions, step-by-step, to achieve the smooth, silky and light as air texture was important due to employing the use of both hot water and melted chocolate because you definitely do not want your chocolate to seize up in a clump leaving you with a kitchen and buttercream disaster.

Furthermore, the use of organic palm shortening, specifically, is imperative for this special buttercream recipe because it creates a pleasing buttery texture yet prevents a greasy mouth feel that can often result when regular vegetable shortening is used.

Recently, a reader wrote in via comment stating that her buttercream was “too greasy” after following our recipe for Best Ever American Buttercream and that she planned to stick to “traditional methods” versus this one. Impossible. There simply is no way this buttercream will turn out “greasy” if you use organic palm shortening, such as by Spectrum® Organics, as specified. This method, as it stands, is not flawed. As I shared in our tutorial for Best Ever American Buttercream, the recipe was inspired by the recipe, Famous Buttercream Frosting, and was given to us by a family friend, Linda, who owned a professional bakery.

When using the proper ingredients called for, and measured or weighed accurately, our buttercream recipes will always result in a silky, non-gritty texture and your buttercream will be “billowy” and ethereally light, while still piping beautifully, like no other American style buttercream. That’s a bona fide promise.

The Importance of Organic Palm Shortening

To me, organic palm shortening is a big step up from the high ratio shortening that so many professional bakeries use because it is all natural, does not contain soy (a major food allergen and hormone disruptor) and is non-hydrogenated. The texture of palm shortening is full and silky—never greasy. Plus, organic palm shortening helps stabilize buttercreams for warmer outdoor temps, so important for tiered cakes during summer wedding season.

If you are like me, slightly on the geeky-nerdy side when it comes to food science, and wish to read more about the “Sugar Slurry and Emulsion Technique” (I just coined that term today!) for making buttercream, view several step-by-step photos and learn the “top 10” reasons I prefer organic palm shortening for a buttery yet stable consistency for our American style buttercream recipes, read the tutorial. This is why it is there. 🙂

Not only does our recipe for Chocolate Fudge Silk Buttercream look impressive, it pulls together in record time. The part that takes up the most time is chopping the chocolate. Also, this special buttercream does not have a gritty texture like so many other American Style Buttercreams do. This is due to creating a “sugar slurry” with boiling water to dissolve the sugar and an “emulsion” with the addition of the sugar syrup and fats. Furthermore, is not cloyingly sweet since only half the amount of sugar is used in relation to fats when compared to standard American Buttercream recipes.

The flavor profile is exceptionally fudgy due to the addition of both cocoa powder and melted chocolate. This ethereal buttercream is silky smooth and incredibly light with a pleasing mouth feel that comes as close to European buttercreams as an American buttercream can. Plus, our recipe comes with a variation for Mocha Silk Buttercream for coffee lovers. Truly, wicked good!

Give our recipe for Chocolate Fudge Silk Buttercream a whirl the next time you “cave to the crave” for homemade chocolate cake. You will be so glad you did. In fact, save for a ganache based chocolate buttercream, I think you will have found your favorite chocolate fudge buttercream frosting!

Chocolate Fudge Silk Buttercream

Description

Creamy, silky and incredibly light and fluffy, our Chocolate Fudge Silk Buttercream melts on the tongue and is not too sweet. Fine quality cocoa powder and chocolate are both incorporated for a full and robust chocolate fudge flavor. This special buttercream is made using a unique method and is the perfect American style dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for cakes and cupcakes. Recipe includes variation for Mocha Silk Buttercream. It will become your favorite Chocolate Buttercream!

Directions

Melt chocolate in heatproof bowl in microwave oven in several bursts, stirring between each, as follows: 3 times at 30 seconds, 2 times at 20 seconds and, if needed, 1 time at 10 seconds. Set aside to cool slightly.

Using an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, place sifted confectioners’ sugar and cocoa into work bowl and blend until well combined. Carefully pour boiling water over confectioners’ sugar and cocoa in a steady stream with mixer on low speed (stir). Increase mixer speed to medium and beat, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula, until sugar dissolves, mixture is smooth and cooled to room temperature, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add syrup and vanilla; mix until well blended.

To the cocoa “sugar slurry” add the melted chocolate. On medium speed, beat, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula, until well incorporated. Add butter and shortening and beat on low (stir), scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, until creamy and almost fully incorporated. Gradually increase mixer speed to medium and then to medium-high and continue beating until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of bowl as necessary with rubber spatula, about 8 minutes.

Place work bowl in refrigerator to chill buttercream to bring it to spreading and piping consistency, about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring with a spatula every 5 minutes.

Due to the chocolate and shortening being solid at room temperature, the buttercream will hold firmly at room temperature once chilled.

Yield: Makes about 5½ cups; enough to fill and frost a 9-inch two layer cake, or 8-inch three layer cake, or 22 to 28 cupcakes—depending on amount used to simply ice cupcakes with a knife or icing spatula (in the traditional manner) or pipe elaborate swirls, or decorate with other piping details.

Recipe Notes

Variation:

For Mocha Silk Buttercream: Add 1 to 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder into boiling water and stir until dissolved before pouring over confectioners’ sugar and cocoa.

Tips:

If not using immediately, keep bowl covered tightly to keep buttercream from drying before frosting cake or cupcakes.

Buttercream can be refrigerated for up to 1 week in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature before beating smooth again.

If using the buttercream to pipe details, be sure to use chilled hands when handling pastry bag as warm hands can easily melt the buttercream.

This buttercream will last for up to 3 days at room temperature when on a frosted cake, covered.

Prep Time includes chopping and melting chocolate and Cook Time means Active Time preparing buttercream.

About Stacy

Stacy Bryce is a recipe developer and member of the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals). Her passion is developing original conventional baking recipes as well as special diet recipes to include dairy-free, gluten-free and grain-free. You can follow Stacy at Pinterest.

Stacy, I am sure I’ve said it before but your buttercreams are mesmerizing! I just want the whole bowl and go at it! This looks incredible! Hope you are doing well! xoxoAnna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet recently posted…Easy Cheesy Garlic Crescent Rolls

Couple of things… first of all, this looks divine! I must try and when I do I”ll report back to you on how I did. Secondly, I’ve decided that I love your blog. I am teaching myself how to bake (I’ve just started cakes and frostings this month!) and am trying to understand the science behind it all. Thank you for adding that bit to your posts. Brava! I look forward to what you bake next 🙂
~Liz (Project Pastry Love)

Thank you for the sweet comment, Liz! I truly appreciate it. I just adore your blog as well and look forward to your upcoming posts. Thank you for dropping by today. I am so glad I found you and your blog. 🙂 Happy baking and buttercream making!

Who doesn’t like chocolate?! And it’s a frosting to boot, just give me a spoon.
And this one sounds like one I will definitely dive into! 😀
Your pictures make me want to lick my computer screen….LOL!!
How yummy looking is this recipe, thanks Stacy for posting it.
I’m on the hunt for the shortening, I have everything else in my pantry already.
Wishing you a great day!!

Hahaha! Thank you, Dalila! Your comments always make me smile. You will LOVE working with organic palm shortening in your baking and buttercream making. I have enjoyed introducing it to my readers as this ingredient has crossed over from my paleo baking into my traditional baking. 🙂 I just love it. Enjoy!

First of all I really hope you are doing good my dear. Hugs coming your way.
Secondly, I truly believe that you are a very humble person. Your recipes do require applause. Whenever anyone asks me for a cake or frosting, I direct them to your blog knowing that your version is the best. I love using shortening for the frosting, something very good about it. I will be trying this out soon, few birthdays coming up.
Have a great week.Ash-foodfashionparty recently posted…Multigrain Seed Fig-Nuts Energy Bread

Thank you for the sweet comment, Ash! You always make me smile, girl. 🙂 Using both butter (for flavor) and healthy organic palm shortening (for buttery mouth feel and stability) in buttercream recipes is so ideal. I hope you will try this recipe soon!

STACY. Is it socially acceptable for me to give myself a facial with this frosting? Because I’m about 90 seconds away from doing so. It looks AWESOME. So fluffy and rich – and I love how glossy and gorgeous it is. Pinned!Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel recently posted…Tiramisu Poke Cake

I would never think of you as arrogant if you added “Best Ever” in the title — just looking at it says it all. It looks the best ever! I could just dive into those big, chocolate swirls, and I can’t wait to the see the cakes! 🙂 Pinned.marcie recently posted…Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chunk Sandwich Cookies

I just love your frosting posts! I always learn so much! It makes me want nothing more than to dig in with a big ole spoon, or maybe smear some of that gorgeousness on a graham cracker. And because of you I will definitely be using only organic palm sugar from here on.. 🙂

There are times. Stacy, when a cake is optional – this is one of those times!!! This frosting – is indeed the best ever! I am fascinated by this method of making a “sugar slurry” with a hot liquid! What a creamy dreamy buttercream this is!
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

This looks so creamy and amazing! I seriously just want to dive right in and get lost! The boiling water syrup slurry is such a great idea to achieve that perfectly smooth consistency! Brilliant! Now pass me the bowl please 🙂 xo

This looks so silky smooth. I just want to swipe my finger in that bowl and take a big lick! If I were in the kitchen with you, I’d gladly lick that spatula 🙂 the perfect buttercream for all those Easter treats, Stacy!Julie @ Table for Two recently posted…Beyond the Table

Hi there, Abby! Generally, honey is a good substitute for an inverted sugar syrup because it is made up of both glucose and fructose (making it sucrose-based). However, I have not tested this recipe using honey. Honey has a tendency to crystallize easily and I’m not sure how it will perform in this recipe with both water and chocolate or how the chocolate will respond. Will the chocolate seize and turn into a solid unworkable mess with the buttercream separating? Will the honey cause a grainy texture to the buttercream? Should a change in method be used to dissolve the honey into the boiling water, first, to prevent crystallization? I would definitely have to test the recipe thoroughly before recommending honey as a substitute. If you are up for experimenting with honey in this recipe, let me know how it goes! 🙂 Good luck!

Hi Stacy,
This looks so good. Am planning to try this out today. Can I leave out the chocolate and use only cocoa? If so, how much do you think I should use? Would it be ok to leave out the corn syrup?
Thanks.Jayashree recently posted…Mixed vegetable salad with a tangy spicy dressing

Hi there, Jayashree! Thank you for writing with such great questions. This recipe is recommended as written for a deep fudge flavor and is why chocolate is called for. If you simply want an American Buttercream recipe with cocoa added, try my recipe for Best Ever American Buttercream and incorporate it into that recipe to taste. As for the syrup, it helps with the emulsion, lending a special creaminess, as well as to keep the buttercream from breaking (separating). If you do not want to use corn syrup, try golden syrup such as Lyle’s. It’s a fabulous syrup! Once again, thank you for writing. Happy buttercream making!

Hi there, Molly! This recipe was only tested with palm shortening by Spectrum. I go into great detail in my post for Best Ever American Buttercream as to why I prefer it and call for it in the recipe. Red palm oil is red in color and has a light savory flavor. Since I have not tested this recipe using any other tropical oils, I cannot recommend them. If you are interested in healthy paleo buttercream frostings, stay tuned to my blog as I will be sharing my favorites in the near future. Meanwhile, thanks for writing and happy baking and buttercream making!

Your buttercream recipes are AMAZING! I stumbled across your champagne buttercream and I’ve been hooked ever since. I have made six of your buttercreams so far and they have all been fabulous (except the red velvet butterceam…but that was my fault because I used extra dark cocoa and the red didn’t come through).
So, thank you for developing these recipes and being so thorough in your explanations!
I look forward to seeing what cake recipes you add to your list!

LOL! It tastes like dark chocolate because the recipe was designed that way calling for both dark chocolate and cocoa. Therefore, the title of the recipe fits with “Chocolate Fudge Silk Buttercream”. If you are a milk chocolate lover, you will LOVE my buttercream recipes for Chocolate Mousse Buttercream Frosting and Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream. The cream cheese in the latter recipe mellows out the dark chocolate flavor and makes it taste just like chocolate cheesecake. And, if you like hazelnuts and Nutella, you will really enjoy my recipe for Chocolate Nutella Cream Cheese Buttercream. Sorry that you are not a fan of dark chocolate. However, if you do use dark chocolate and cocoa in buttercream recipes, be sure to use the highest quality for no bitter taste. That could be your problem. Good luck with your next chocolate buttercream!

Hi there, Sue! Since I have not tried to freeze this recipe for buttercream, I cannot recommend it. It is a ganache-type buttercream calling for melted chocolate and thus this particular chocolate buttercream may not thaw very well. If you do happen to try freezing, thawing and then using this recipe for Chocolate Fudge Silk Buttercream, let me know how it works out!

Hi there, Liz! Thank you for writing. You are correct in that the front of the tub of Spectrum® All Vegetable Shortening does not state that it is made from organic palm oil. However, on the back panel of the tub, the ingredients read, “Mechanically pressed organic palm oil.” It is important to note that this palm shortening is all-natural, pure (no added ingredients), organic, mechanically pressed (not chemically processed) and of the utmost high-quality as well as non-hydrogenated (with zero trans fats) and made sustainably. It is also kosher, Certified Organic and Certified Non-GMO. The front of the package simply reads “all vegetable” to indicate that no animal fats are contained within the product. As a serious baker, I swear by this fabulous plant-based shortening by Spectrum® in making ethereal creamy buttercream frostings, moist cakes and flaky piecrust pastry as well as many other baking applications. It simply outperforms any other vegetable shortening I have tried. Although I am not a paid spokesperson for the brand (I just love the product), I hope you will try it soon in your kitchen. 🙂 You will simply be amazed and impressed! Thanks again for writing and… Happy baking!

Thanks so much for the reply. I had seen this recipe and thought I would give it a try. After looking in the grocery store and not being able to find palm oil specifically, I gave up. Shows how much I know about baking. I will definitely be giving the icing a try. It looks and sounds too delicious not to. Thank you again.

Hi there, Cheryl! Thank you for writing with your questions. Information on palm shortening, and my reasons for using it in my buttercream recipes, can be found in my post for Best Ever American Buttercream. Meanwhile, I have not tested this recipe using all butter or substitutes so I cannot make any recommendations. I will be adding more buttercream recipes to include all butter versions later this year. So, please stay tuned. Thanks again for writing and happy baking!

I’m intrigued by your method of making a slurry with the boiling liquid and sugar. It’s the same method used in recipe for European meringue buttercream frostings. When I tasted my first Swiss meringue buttercream (it was my first recipe), I was wowed by the lightness and lovely mouthfeel. After finding my own formula for the texture and flavor I wanted, I have used SMB most the time.

I made red velvet cake for his birthday for 26 years (this year I made strawberry pie as he’s going low-carb). I made that flour-based frosting called “ermine frosting,” but I’ve had problems with it molding.That’s all the more puzzling because I live near Boulder, CO, at altitude! Do you have any ideas on why this is happening?

Thank you for your interest in my recipes and for asking such a great question. In fact, I will be adding my favorite recipe for Ermine Buttercream Frosting, soon, to go along with my All-Natural Red Velvet Layer Cake. (If I am unable to post it before the Christmas holiday, I will do so for St. Valentine’s Day.) So, your question has come with great timing.

About your buttercream forming a mold, I believe the culprit is using a flour that contains mold. Yes, flour manufacturers add molds to all-purpose wheat flours to “improve baking qualities”. Read your product labels carefully. If you see “Malted Barley Flour”, know that anything “malted” means “mold”. Grocery store brands of all-purpose flour contain this additive and other additives as well that are not healthy for us. As for bleached all-purpose flour, I avoid it entirely due to the toxic byproduct called alloxan. (Read up on this toxin and how it impacts the beta cells in the pancreas causing diabetes in other mammals.) In addition, read this article Bleached vs. Unbleached Flour for more important facts.

As a serious all-natural baker, and one who happens to be allergic to mold, I now exclusively use only pure organic unbleached flour that is unenriched (enriched means synthetic vitamins added which our bodies do not assimilate well or are harmful) with no additives. The only two (2) American brands that I have found that meet these standards are Arrowhead Mills® and Hodgson Mill®. Since Hodgson Mill® offers a 2-pound package size, and because I bake quite often (lots of testing), it has become my favorite brand.

Below are some links (no affiliate links, just helpful links for you and fellow readers) for pure organic unbleached all-purpose flour brands that I recommend highly—not only for your baking (and good health), but for your Ermine Buttercream Frosting to prevent it from molding.

The less we consume fungal ingredients (molds and yeasts), the healthier we will be by preventing fungal infections and cancer. Thanks again, Christine, for your interest in Wicked Good Kitchen and for asking such an important question.

Welcome to My Kitchen

My name is Stacy. I'm a recipe developer, food writer, baker and member of the IACP. I love to concoct tasty baked creations to share with others—both traditional and gluten-free. Welcome to my Wicked Good Kitchen!